Firewind completes title sweep in OFBL Friday Morning Division

Firewind Rovsky showed nerves of steel and the heart of a champion in an 80-77 victory over Centerpoint to complete a sweep last week of the 3rd OFBL (Overseas Filipino Basketball League) Friday Morning Division championship at the Timeout Sports Academy on Television Street, Ghulail District on the outskirts of Jeddah.
Firewind had to endure a struggling start and a determined Centerpoint challenge in the waning seconds to get the win and complete an 11-0 title sweep in the division that was the first to be decided out of the five championships up for grabs in the four months long tournament.
Firewind struggled early in the first quarter as it faced a barrage of shots from the Centerpoint trio of Cruz, Eborda and Razal who combined to give their team a 10-point lead, 18-28, in the period.
Balmones and Dela Cruz put Firewind on pace with Centerpoint in the second quarter that ended 46-40 to Centerpoint.
The third quarter was the turning point for Firewind Rovsky, as P. Reyes ignited a run that gave Firewind its first lead at 50-49 which the eventual champion maintained to the end of the third quarter 61-55. They further extended their lead to as much as 10 points in the last quarter with their run-and-gun game, controlling the boards and taking more second chances from loose balls.
But Centerpoint refused to go without a good fight going into the last three minutes. They managed to close the gap and had the chance to force overtime with a three pointer with 4 seconds to play.
But Firewind employed tight defense and denied Centerpoint a clear view of the basket to preserve the victory.
Winning coach Marcos Ulanday Yap praised his players for the astounding performance they have shown for the whole season.
“What a big achievement! They have played remarkably well and it’s all worth the effort,” said Yap. Firewind assistant coach Keiron Reyes said the road to the finals is not at all smooth sailing. It’s just a matter of who has the heart to withstand all the challenges which they indeed possessed. “And maybe, the odds were really ever in our favor.”
With an impressive record in the competition Firewind Rovsky has been widely tipped as the team to beat in the 4th Friday Morning Division Conference which starts March 22 right after the awarding ceremony.
Meanwhile, GCT and Mahmoud Gharib arranged a best-of-three for the Inter-Company Bona fide A Division championship following their semifinal knockout victories over Andaluz 87-76 and Al Zamil Airconditioner 57-56 respectively.
The scores:
Firewind Rovsky (80) Reyes 19, Balmones 19, Dela Cruz 18, Fajardo 13, Keiron 5, Hakeem 4, Poliquit 2
Centerpoint (77) Cruz 24, Eborda 24, Razal 10, Dela Cruz 6, Estrada 6, Lapuz 5, and Simbol 2